2026 Reading Plan Reflections - Day 17

Matthew opens this scene with something undeniably good: Jesus heals a man who could not see or speak. Sight is restored. Speech returns. Wholeness breaks in.

And yet, instead of wonder, the religious leaders respond with suspicion.

They don’t deny the miracle. They reinterpret it.

Why? Because if this healing is truly good, then everything else Jesus is doing—lifting the marginalized, restoring dignity to the overlooked, offering freedom without first demanding status—must also be good. And that threatens their entire framework for understanding God, holiness, and authority.

So rather than letting grace reshape their worldview, they try to domesticate it.

Jesus, however, is revealing a kingdom that does not preserve the status quo. He reveals a grace that restores and reorders lives—and in doing so, exposes our attachment to control, certainty, and power. This is not abstract theology. This is lived reality.

This passage reminds us that grace is never passive. God’s grace acts. It heals. It liberates. And it calls for a response. The Pharisees weren’t condemned for lack of knowledge, but for resisting grace when it disrupted their system. Holiness is not about protecting what has always been—it is about being transformed until our loves align with God’s kingdom.

Jesus draws the line clearly: “Whoever is not with me is against me.” Neutrality isn’t an option. Grace always demands cooperation.

Name where you might be resisting grace
Ask honestly: Where has God done something good that unsettles me? Pray for clarity, not comfort.
Examine your reflexes, not just your beliefs
Notice your first reaction when God works outside your expectations. That’s often where transformation begins.
Choose fruit over control
If lives are being restored, let that fruit matter more than who gets credit or how it fits your system.
Refuse neutrality
Ask yourself: Am I participating in Christ’s liberating work—or merely evaluating it? Then act accordingly.